Last Updated on September 11, 2025 by Lord Vincent Van Mendoza
This is the truth of the matter: Not all who have been doing SEO for years are doing quite well. The reason why they are not on top is because of their outdated orientation on Search Engine Optimization (SEO). That is just one. In this blog, I will share with you the 7 deadly sins in doing SEO.
Here’s the thing: Search engine webmasters are constantly evolving the SEO guidelines to enrich user experience (yes, SEO is for humans). Such governing rules work to keep searches safe, credible, relevant, and up-to-date. Penalties for breaking the rules can wreak havoc on your web credibility.
Are you aware of the deadly sins you commit in doing SEO?
— Lord Vincent Van Mendoza (@digitallourd) May 27, 2021
Here are 7 SEO deadly sins you should know:
(1) Waiting to start.
Most advertisers underestimate the power of organic search, and so they rely on paid ads. No doubt. It works. For instance, Fibo Lim is fond of doing a lot of paid video marketing campaigns. But the question is undefined — until when should you be paying for ads to get visibility? Sadly, ads can’t make that last. You have to do SEO the moment you have your website. It is the most important form of traffic after all. This is your way of making it easy for people to find your business online. As a matter of fact, websites that do not have a high number of visitors do not sell much. I don’t want to talk much. Just start.
(2) Hiring an old SEO agency.
It is a rule of thumb to hire an SEO specialist who really performs well. Even in the world of SEO, the rule “Ignorance of the law excuses no one” applies. If your website is caught using high-risk tactics, you are the one who will be punished. Hence, you should look for the right guy to do the job for you.
It is therefore imperative that you hire a contemporary SEO specialist who knows exactly what to do based on trends and the latest search algorithms. It is too good to be true to promise to place you in the top rank. However, isn’t it hard to believe that your SEO specialist really ranks first on searches?
(3) Using irrelevant keywords and links.
A keyword is a word or phrase that describes the message of the content. Keywords and links to external sites that are not relevant to your product offerings can lower your ranking on the search engine results page. In 2016 alone, Google’s Webmaster Guidelines began penalizing websites demonstrating ‘patterns of unnatural, artificial, deceptive, or manipulative outbound links’.
You have to bear in mind that search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo!, AOL) will penalize websites that wrongfully insert irrelevant keywords and links. You don’t wanna do this, do you?
Search engines catch unrelated keywords and links because it hurts the user experience (you may even get reported by searchers). Even if you get away with it, visitors who come to your page only to find that it doesn’t match their search criteria bounce off the site. In effect, high bounce rates can hurt your Search Engine Result Page (SERP) rankings. It is recommended to keep the keywords and links included on the page as specific as possible to your product or service.
(4) Using too many links.
I have observed some counterparts in the SEO industry who keep on duplicating content; that is, making it available on so many pages (although the title is just rephrased a bit). Obviously, these people do not know that Google recommends a maximum of 100 links per webpage. Once they reach this limit, it’s a homerun.
You do not want to do this, either. Instead, step up your content marketing game. Keep your content relevant and valuable, and include internal links.
(5) Committing keyword stuffing.
Other SEO specialists are so in love with their keywords that they want to use them almost after every paragraph. They are being so political in an SEO sense. That is so wrong! That might work for the short term. It does, I know. In fact, I have observed from my colleagues. This should be avoided, as this may result in total removal from SERPs. A great way of countering this sin is by using synonyms for your keywords.
(6) Focusing too heavily on “text” content.
While it is true that texts are what the crawlers or spiders can read, you have to note that doing SEO is for human experience. Offer some other content other than text. You can do this by incorporating pictures in your blog. Nevertheless, keep your non-text content related to your overall theme. No misleading!
(7) Copying external content.
Being a total copycat is a NO-NO in SEO. For every work that is inspired by other content creators, do the honors of doing attribution. If you keep on copying content from others, you will soon be filtered.
In conclusion, doing SEO is not rocket science. It should be thoroughly learned. Otherwise, you will not get the results that you desire. Are there other SEO deadly sins that you know?
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Vince is a digital marketing specialist, event host, and content creator based in Davao City, Philippines. Known for blending creativity, communication, and strategy, he helps brands and organizations strengthen their digital presence through compelling content and smart marketing practices. He specializes in SEO, content creation, social media management, pay-per-click advertising, and email marketing—turning ideas into content that builds visibility and helps businesses grow online. Outside of work, he loves to watch Netflix on weekends.
